The inspirations and origins for our stories.
Phong Quan’s story “It Feels Like Déjà Vu” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 27 July 2018. “It Feels Like Déjà Vu” is the culmination of many different influences from throughout my life. I wrote the first scene many years ago while I was in college, involving the two (at that time unnamed) main characters talking as a shift occurred. In that scene, the character that would become Ely is trying to remind Jon of …
Felicity Drake’s story “The Dream Diary of Monk Anchin” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 20 July 2018. A few years ago, I went to see a special exhibition at the Idemitsu Museum in Tokyo, and I was particularly charmed by a portrait much like the one in the story. Researching or translating premodern texts can feel like having a conversation with someone from the past, sometimes in a surprisingly intimate way. I wanted to …
Thom Connors’s story “The Forest of New People” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 13 July 2018. Prior to being a musician, I was a Bastler. The story was autobiographical. Seriously though, one of the things I love about short stories is that they allow you to explore things that may not have received the same attention you believe they deserved. Magical consequences are a big one. I loved the idea of magic that has …
C. Heidmann’s story “Time’s Arrow” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 6 July 2018. A typical what-if moment inspired this story. What if aliens came along and made actual resurrection from the dead possible? Aliens are, for me, the ultimate mystery and I strove to keep them mysterious in this story. If they are technologically advanced, they could be capable of anything—up to and including resurrecting our dead, and without necessarily explaining their motivations. —What …
R.W.W. Greene’s story “The Stars Don’t Lie” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 29 June 2018. “The Stars Don’t Lie” started out because I wanted to write about someone overcoming a disability. I teach high school, and most school days I visit a little coffee shop run by kids in the special-education program. It’s one of the best parts of my day. The idea of a human attending a centaur school came from that. Lesa, …
A.C. Worth’s story “The Tapestry” was published in Metaphorosis on Friday, 22 June 2018. “The Tapestry” has its origins in the idea that someday we might live in a world containing organizations who maintain/control its timeline. The creation of St. Clare’s (patron saint of television) and St. Benedict’s (patron saint of history) monasteries, the Actuator’s guild and other medieval elements were inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry, which contains images from the Norman conquest of England …
